The Issachar Report

The
Issachar Report

1 Chronicles 12:2
Dennis
A. Wright, DMin

"Four Religious Worldviews"

The
Apostle Paul gave some poignant advice to the Christians at Colossae, "See to
it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which
depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on
Christ" (Colossians 2:8 niv).
Over
one hundred years ago (1890-1891), James Orr presented the Kerr lectures in
Edinburgh, Scotland.  He entitled
his series The Christian View of God and the World and argued forcefully
for the proposition that Biblical Christianity is a worldview. 
He meant that Christianity is more than a two-hour emotional experience
on Sunday morning.  Rather Christianity is a 24/7 relationship with God through
Jesus Christ.
Thus,
one who says he believes with his whole heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God "is thereby committed to much else besides," says Orr.  Christianity is more than heart. 
It is head as well.  It is
body, mind, soul and spirit (Mark 12:30).  The
Christian, by the very fact that he or she is a Christian is committed to a
"view of God, to a view of man, to a view of sin, to a view of redemption, to
a view of the purpose of God in creation and history, to a view of human
destiny" (The Christian View of God and the World, 4).  Add these views together and they add up to a worldview.
Dr.
David Noebel in Understanding The Times: The Religious Worldviews of our Day
and The Search for Truth defines worldview as "any ideology, philosophy,
theology, movement or religion that provides an overarching approach to
understanding God, the world, man and man's relations to God and the world." 
Specifically, says, Noebel, a worldview contains a particular perspective
regarding each of the following ten areas: theology, philosophy, ethics,
biology, psychology, sociology, law, politics, economics and history.
When
examined from a religious perspective, every worldview in existence will
ultimately fall within one of four categories:

Four
major beliefs of Atheism are: God is nonexistent; matter is eternal (Remember
Carl Sagan's introduction to Cosmos on PBS: "The Cosmos is all that
ever is, was or will be"?); humanity is merely the highest form of matter;
and, therefore, salvation is unnecessary. 
Examples
of religions that are atheistic would include: Secular Humanism, Philosophical
Marxism, and some forms of Satanism.

Four
major beliefs of Monotheism are: God is both eternal and personal; matter is
created by God; humanity is part of the creation and, therefore, less than God;
and, salvation is something that God does on behalf of mankind.
The
three major world religions that are monotheistic are Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam.

Four
major beliefs of Polytheism are: the gods are personal, but not eternal; matter
is eternal; humanity can become gods and goddesses; and, salvation is through
works and religious rituals.
Three
examples of religions that are polytheistic are Greek Mythology, Voodoo, and
Mormonism.

Four
major beliefs of Pantheism are: God is eternal; that matter is an illusion;
humanity is actually part of God; and, salvation is enlightenment to the fact
that everything is one, and all is god.  This
last concept is known as Monism
which is the metaphysical view that all is of one essential essence, substance
or energy.
Examples
of Pantheistic religions include Hinduism, Taoism, and New Age Spirituality.

The
next several columns will examine these religious worldviews by comparing each
with the Christian worldview as described by Orr. 
Let us revisit Colossians 2:8 as amplified by Noebel: "Beware lest any
man [educator, politician, rock star, news anchorman/woman] take you captive
through vain and deceitful philosophy [naturalism, materialism, existentialism,
pragmaticism], after the tradition of men [Marx, Darwin, Nietzsche, Wellhausen,
Freud, Dewey, Foucault], after the rudiments of the world [socialism, evolution,
higher criticism, humanism, moral relativism, deconstructionism, collectivism],
and not after Christ."

Have
we not embarked on a hazardous journey of rejecting and replacing Christ with
any number of mortal men and their ideas?  Since
ideas have consequences we are now witnessing the consequences of these utopian
schemes and ideas.

Dennis
A. Wright, DMin. is Founder and President of Understanding The Times Ministries. 
An accomplished writer and educator, Wright has spoken in churches and
conferences all over America on spiritual counterfeits and Christian Worldview
topics.  He can be emailed at Dennis@UnderstandingTheTimes.org
and his new website can be found at www.UnderstandingTheTimes.org.

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